Since the end of last season the Blue Square Football Conference has seen the demise of three of its' member clubs. Halifax Town, Boston United and Nuneaton Borough have all lost their membership of the Football Conference because of their continuing financial problems and instability.

The Board of the Blue Square Football Conference, as a consequence, have set up a monitoring system which, it is hoped, will give them an early warning about any club which is failing to fulfill its' financial obligations to the Inland Revenue (P.A.Y.E.) and the Customs and Excise (V.A.T.).

The Board of Workington A.F.C. are determined that the club will be run without incurring any unmanageable debts which has not been the case for a number of clubs at our level.

We are also determined that we will continue to make our case to Allerdale Borough Council for the retention of Borough Park as the home of the club despite the apparent desires of the officers employed by Allerdale Borough Council to persist in their quest for a “super stadium” to be shared by Workington Reds and Workington Town. The evidence is overwhelming that such a scheme would result in the demise of the Workington Football Club which we all know and love.

Our own scheme for the development of Borough Park would safeguard the future of Workington A.F.C. for many years and enable the club to be financially self-sufficient with income from both matches and the use of the facilities within the proposed stand development for regular functions.

We can not go back in time and the glories of Reds and Town are past and are very unlikely to be repeated. The geography and the population numbers of West Cumbria and district dictate that we have to “cut our coat according to our cloth”.

With travel to other more affluent football clubs being fairly easily available to the football fans of West Cumbria , no longer can we count our supporters in thousands – a number in the hundreds is more realistic.

Maybe with a successful season we can raise our level but it's down to the number of people coming through the turnstiles that our future depends. Along of course with the help that should be coming from Allerdale Borough Council – after all the land that was sold to Tesco did belong to the people of Workington and was designated for use as a sporting site. Cycling, athletics and football were specifically mentioned in the sale to the Workington Council of the day.

May I ask you to do whatever you can to make your views know to the Councillors of Allerdale Borough Council to leave them in no doubt that it is their views and their decision which matters and not the views of the paid officers who can leave Allerdale at the drop of a hat should they wish.

Colin Doorbar

Director – Workington A.F.C.

Ground Grading  (Wed 26 March)

Workington AFC are very pleased to announce that the club has achieved a verbal "B" grading today which will enable us to continue in Blue Square Conference North. Representatives of both the Blue Square North and the Football Association spent an hour today going round Borough Park checking that the work required to receive the "B" grading had been done. The club will receive official confirmation very shortly.

New Stadium  (Wed 26 March)

Workington AFC are to host a meeting with Allerdale District Council's Task Group who are charged with deciding whether the "new" stadium will go ahead or not. The councillors will visit Borough Park on the 4th April. After visiting the Reds they will visit Workington Town at Derwent Park.

Ground Improvements  (Sun 23 March)

The board are confident that the improvements needed to meet the Conference ground grading requirements are now in place.

You may have noticed that the away dugout has now been moved further away (giving the chaps in the press area a much better view by the way !).

An extra place has been added to the press box to give the six berths that are required;

Concrete paths have been laid from the four turnstiles behind the Town End of the ground into the Town End;

Hand washbasins have been installed in the stewards room and in the players treatment room;

"Keep off the grass" signs have been prepared and are ready for installation.

The club is awaiting final confirmation that the provision of portaloos will be acceptable to the League although the club believes that this has been verbally agreed.

There will be a Conference ground inspection on Wednesday 26th March.

Allerdale and the "New Stadium"  (Sun 23 March)

Latest indications are that Allerdale Borough Council will make a decision on this issue sometime in April or May 2008. This long running saga has had a number of decisions deferred, the latest being January 2008. This has impacted on the club regarding toilet facilities, hence the "portaloo" situation mentioned above. We will keep you posted with additional information when we receive it.